Team Speed Kills - SEC Football, Week 4: Jeff Driskel Goes Down as Florida Beats Tennessee; Rutgers Beats Arkansas; LSU Survives AuburnSports are just better in the SEChttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52580/tsk_fav.png2013-09-22T00:39:58-04:00http://www.teamspeedkills.com/rss/stream/45183172013-09-22T00:39:58-04:002013-09-22T00:39:58-04:00Topics for Discussion: Divisional Chances; Murphy
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<figcaption>Kevin C. Cox</figcaption>
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<p>A few things to chew on after the weekend that was in the SEC, from which teams are best positioned to play in Atlanta to what we can expect from Tyler Murphy</p> <p><b>Does anybody want this thing?</b> The two divisional front-runners coming into Saturday were Alabama in the SEC West and Georgia in the SEC East. Both ended up with pretty solid margins of victory against their overwhelmed mid-major foes, but both also struggled with those teams in the early going and sometimes in the late going. Georgia and North Texas were tied at 21 until more than halfway through the third quarter; Alabama was never really in danger of losing to Colorado State, but seemed to be letting the Rams back into the game in the third quarter before tacking on two more scores in the fourth. So are you worried about either of those teams after this week's performance? Do you think either of them has been replaced as the best teams in their respective divisions?</p>
<p><b>Who you got?</b> Speaking of Georgia and perhaps LSU, the two of them will meet this Saturday in Athens. Who do you think wins, and what other SEC games are you going to be keeping an eye on?</p>
<p><b>What can we reasonably expect from <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115247/tyler-murphy">Tyler Murphy</a>?</b> This was actually tweeted in the aftermath of Jeff Driskel's injury and the game that followed:</p>
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<p>Tyler Murphy gives Gators element they haven't had since Tebow <a href="http://t.co/AfXul8VRIK">http://t.co/AfXul8VRIK</a></p>
— Matt Hayes (@Matt_HayesSN) <a href="https://twitter.com/Matt_HayesSN/statuses/381584392910405632">September 22, 2013</a>
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<p>There is no reason to think that Murphy can't be a quality starting quarterback in the SEC. There is also no reason to start comparing him to Tim Tebow. But what do you think we'll see out of Murphy, who is now the starter for Florida for the remainder of the season? And can Florida still compete with Driskel out for the year?</p>
<p><b>Is Vanderbilt back to being Vanderbilt again?</b> The Commodores also didn't light up the scoreboard, particularly not early, against UMass in their trip to New England. Is that just another example of the potential upset bug that seemed to be going around Saturday? Or does it in fact signal that there might be some problems in the Vanderbilt program beyond the obvious distraction right now? Is Vanderbilt still going to be able to make its third consecutive bowl?</p>
<p><b>You buying Missouri yet?</b> The other other Tigers are 3-0 after a win at Indiana, having beaten an admittedly mid- to lower-tier B1G opponent on the road in convincing fashion. Missouri gained 623 yards against the Hoosiers and won 45-28. Missouri notched 33 first downs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/158633/dorial-green-beckham">Dorial Green-Beckham</a> is starting to play up to his recruiting hype, hauling in eight catches in this game for 105 yards and a touchdown. But Missouri doesn't start its SEC season until October, so how do you think they'll do once they get there?</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/22/4757330/sec-football-week-4-recapBrandon Larrabee2013-09-22T00:10:34-04:002013-09-22T00:10:34-04:00LSU 35, Auburn 21: Another Data Point
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<figcaption>Chris Graythen</figcaption>
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<p>There were times when LSU looked like an unstoppable juggernaut destined for Atlanta. There were other times when the Bayou Bengals did not look quite that good</p> <p>With the value of LSU's win against TCU having long ago disappeared only two other cupcake stompings to show for the first part of 2013, the game against Auburn looked like the perfect opportunity for the Bayou Bengals to establish themselves as the cream of the SEC. An easy win would make it clear that LSU was the most complete team in the conference, especially after Alabama's game against Colorado State was far too competitive for far too long. A close win or, worse yet, a loss would send the message that LSU's early run was a sign of an easy start.</p>
<p>So did LSU pass its first test? Maybe. After all, it took less than 17 and a half minutes for the Bayou Bengals to establish a 21-0 lead on Auburn. Jeremy Hill ran for 183 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. And while Zach Mettenberger didn't always look like an All-American candidate, his outing (14-of-22, 229 yards, a touchdown and an interception) was solid enough to give some hope that the LSU offense is potent enough to cause problems. In all, LSU gained 456 yards.</p>
<p>But there are also reasons to think that LSU's armor might have just as many dents as Alabama's. Auburn gained 437 yards against LSU's vaunted defense, which allowed the Orange and Blue Tigers to get back into the game and make it closer than it should have been in the final minutes. Nick Marshall wasn't particularly sharp (17-of-33, 224 yards, two interceptions), but <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/131875/tre-mason">Tre Mason</a> ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Were it not for a debatable illegal touching call on an on-sides kick (which I thought the referees got right), Auburn would have had the ball in good field position down 14 points with 6:33 to go.</p>
<p>Which might tell us as much about Auburn as it does about LSU. After all, we can still only guess at the ceiling for the Orange and Blue Tigers until we see a bit more information. We know they're good enough to beat Washington State, Arkansas State and Mississippi State, but not good enough to beat LSU. There's quite a bit of room in that statement, and we might look back and see that it made perfect sense for LSU to "only" win this game by two touchdowns. And that might be a compliment to the Bayou Bengals. Or it might not.</p>
<p>Next week's game at Georgia will provide us some of the answers. A win in Athens against the Dawgs would cement the Bayou Bengals' place as the team to beat in the SEC. A loss could serve to reinforce the idea that LSU's early opponents made it look good, and it's time to hold off on the talk of conference and national titles. Saturday night's game probably told us something about one of these teams. Now, we just have to figure out which one it was.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/22/4757260/lsu-tigers-35-auburn-tigers-21-final-scoreBrandon Larrabee2013-09-21T20:39:43-04:002013-09-21T20:39:43-04:00Rutgers 28, Arkansas 24: Body Blow for Bowl Hopes?
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<p>The Razorbacks' path to a bowl gets much harder after a stunning comeback by the home team</p> <p>When Jonathan Williams -- yes, running back Jonathan Williams -- hit <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/215211/hunter-henry">Hunter Henry</a> with a touchdown pass about halfway through the third quarter and Arkansas kicked the extra point to go up 24-7, Arkansas fans had to feel good about their chances and their season. The Hogs were about to move to 4-0, and wins against Auburn and Mississippi State or splitting those games and getting one upset would put Arkansas in the postseason in Bret Bielema's first season.</p>
<p>Then, the rest of the game happened. Rutgers responded with 21 unanswered points to take the lead and eventually win the game, leaving the Hogs 3-1 and just about requiring an upset to even think about going to a bowl. It's not impossible for Razorbacks to secure a 13th game, but it suddenly looks much, much harder.</p>
<p>Arkansas was at a distinct disadvantage going into this game -- taking a long trip to New Jersey and playing A.J. Derby at quarterback instead of their usual starter. In some ways, it wasn't a shock that Rutgers won if you look at the box score; they outgained Arkansas 400-283 and only came as close as they did to losing because of three turnovers. Still, the loss was a gut-punch to the team's fans and perhaps its hopes. Suddenly, there's a reason to be nervous about what happens next.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/21/4756778/rutgers-scarlet-knights-28-arkansas-razorbacks-24-final-scoreBrandon Larrabee2013-09-21T19:52:02-04:002013-09-21T19:52:02-04:00Florida 31, Tennessee 17: Tyler Murphy Will Start
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<figcaption>Al Messerschmidt</figcaption>
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<p>Jeff Driskel goes down and the Florida offense appears to have the beginnings of a spark. Might the Gators be better off without their starting quarterback?</p> <p>It could be a mistake to take too much away from this game. It was a horribly sloppy meeting between one team that is expected to contend for the top of the SEC East and another that is at best expected to compete for fourth place. And it could particularly be a mistake to read too much into the Florida offense's performance against Tennessee, which did not exactly show itself to be full of Bednarik contenders in the loss to Oregon.</p>
<p>In fact, throw in the nine turnovers -- yes, nine -- and you have a good case that nothing should be taken away from this game at all. Except that, after <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/131897/jeff-driskel">Jeff Driskel</a> went down with what Will Muschamp says is a season-ending ankle injury, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/115247/tyler-murphy">Tyler Murphy</a> looked really good.</p>
<p>Maybe not great, but good. Murphy was 8-of-14 for 134 yards and a touchdown. He did not throw an interception in a game that featured five of them, four by Tennessee. His 161.11 passing efficiency rating, better than Jeff Driskel in all but three of games Driskel has played since he took over as starter last year. And Murphy carried the ball 10 times for 84 yards and another touchdown.</p>
<p>Which is not to say that Florida is somehow better off without Driskel. There's obviously a reason that Driskel began the year as the starting quarterback, and the SEC can be a difficult adjustment for a first-time starting quarterback. Murphy will face LSU, Georgia and South Carolina (read: <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/138017/jadeveon-clowney">Jadeveon Clowney</a>) in the next two months, though Kentucky and Arkansas could prove to be relatively easy on-ramps for him.</p>
<p>But Florida looked close to good on offense Saturday for the first time in a long time. Florida scored all 31 points and gained 344 of its 382 yards in the roughly 55 minutes of playing time after Murphy took over. They're not going to be the Spurrier-era Gators right now, but there are signs of hope for the Florida offense, though potentially at great cost. For all the criticisms Driskel often took from some quarter of the Florida fan base, he led the team to a 11-3 record as a starter and a BCS bowl last season. He doesn't deserve having people dance on his medical records.</p>
<p>It's a little bit hard to get a read on whether this is more or less hope for Tennessee now. Certainly, very few people on either side expected the Volunteers to win this game. And it's not like they got blown out; losing on the road by two touchdowns to Florida in the fourth game of a rebuilding season isn't terrible. But having six turnovers -- including one on the final play of the game -- is terrible, and the 65.40 passing efficiency rating for the Tennessee quarterbacks is dreadful. (In part because of the turnovers, but I digress.)</p>
<p>The only reasonable goal for Tennessee at this point appears to be getting to a bowl with a .500 record, and that's going to be challenging. There are two surefire wins left on the schedule in South Alabama and Kentucky, meaning the Vols need two wins out of Georgia, South Carolina, at Alabama, at Missouri, Auburn and Vanderbilt. Whether the loss Saturday changes the likelihood of any of that is debatable, but they almost certainly have to avoid the kind of mistakes they made in this game to play in the postseason.</p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/21/4756610/florida-gators-31-tennessee-volunteers-17-jeff-driskel-injuryBrandon Larrabee2013-09-21T15:33:58-04:002013-09-21T15:33:58-04:00Auburn vs. LSU: Could We See Another Bizarre One?
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<figcaption>John Reed-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>This might only be the game of the week because the game of the week isn't a lofty honor this week, but that doesn't mean there's no reason to watch</p> <p><i><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/auburn-tigers">Auburn Tigers</a> vs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/lsu-tigers">LSU Tigers</a>, 7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN</i></p>
<p>If it were being played on just about any other week this season, the annual Battle of the Tigers would probably not be the game of the week. Yes, Auburn and LSU are both undefeated and yes, the Blue and Orange Tigers might be something of a surprise this year. But the outcome of this game is still probably going to be an LSU win, and perhaps one by a couple of scores.</p>
<p>Then again, maybe not. You don't exactly have to be a student of SEC football to know that <a href="http://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2013/9/18/4742366/earthquakes-barn-burners-and-cigars-why-there-is-still-a-rivalry-and">strange things often happen in this game</a>. And not garden-variety strange things. We're talking buildings burning to the ground and kickers forgetting how to make easy field goals and, in recent years, the wild card that is Les Miles. LSU might always have strange games with the Mad Hatter at the helm, but the match-up with Auburn has always been its own kind of bizarre.</p>
<p>In other words, there are reasons to watch this game well beyond whether it will be competitive on the field. And it might be competitive on the field anyway. Auburn is undefeated despite facing a few half-credible teams. (Yes, half-credible. Let's not go crazy here.) Nick Marshall appears to be getting better as the season goes along. If it weren't for Ole Miss' hot start, Auburn might be the surprise team of the SEC.</p>
<p>But LSU has looked to me like the most complete team in the conference right now. Granted, that's against opponents who wouldn't even clear the "half-credible" bar, and it hasn't exactly been a banner year for all-aroundness in the SEC, given that half the teams in the conference appear to have completely forgotten how to play defense. That said, Zach Mettenberger has looked good early and Cam Cameron appears to be the offensive coordinator LSU has needed for years, and that makes the Bayou Bengals a dangerous player in the SEC West.</p>
<p>The wild-card quality of this game, though -- that's something that gives me pause picking this one. I think it will be a better game than it looks like, worth even of being he SEC game of the week -- but in the end, LSU manages to pull out a close win.</p>
<p><i>LSU 35, Auburn 28</i></p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/21/4755988/auburn-tigers-vs-lsu-tigers-preview-tv-timeBrandon Larrabee2013-09-21T15:01:01-04:002013-09-21T15:01:01-04:00Missouri vs. Indiana: Another Game You Won't See
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<figcaption>Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>This hasn't been the easiest day for SEC teams to win the games in which they're favored. And Missouri is traveling to play a B1G team</p> <p><i><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/missouri-tigers">Missouri Tigers</a> at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/indiana-hoosiers">Indiana Hoosiers</a>, 8 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network</i></p>
<p>On what is already shaping up to be a dangerous day for SEC teams, Missouri heads north to take on Indiana in what could be a tricky match-up. The Hoosiers lost at home to Navy in between walloping Indiana State and blowing out Bowling Green -- not the kind of resume that should make even a middle-of-the-pack SEC team scared -- but, again, this has been the kind of day where those unimpressive resumes have threatened to trip up conference teams.</p>
<p>And Mizzou has at times struggled with its two cupcakes this year. The Tigers dropped 58 points on Murray State to win easily, but only after the Tigers railed 14-13 after the first quarter. And the 38-23 win against Toledo was a little closer than it might look. Missouri has decent numbers on both sides of the ball, but they haven't exactly been overwhelming against underwhelming competition so far.</p>
<p>But Indiana hasn't played much better teams and has struggled to contain the run. They are 108th in the country, allowing opponents to churn out 237 yards a game on the ground, despite beating one of their three opponents by 38 points. Against a team that gains 274 yards a game running, the Hoosiers have to hope for an upset -- because it's the best chance for them to win.</p>
<p><i>Missouri 32, Indiana 23</i></p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/21/4755862/missouri-tigers-vs-indiana-hoosiers-preview-tv-timeBrandon Larrabee2013-09-21T08:00:13-04:002013-09-21T08:00:13-04:00Florida vs. Tennessee: When a Rivalry Loses Impact
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<figcaption>John Sommers II</figcaption>
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<p>This used to be one of the SEC's more significant rivalries. It has not been in recent years. And it likely will not be this year</p> <p><i><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/tennessee-volunteers">Tennessee Volunteers</a> vs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/florida-gators">Florida Gators</a>, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS</i></p>
<p>It's not that the last five editions of this game have been a total bust. <a href="http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2012/9/15/3339692/florida-tennessee-final-score-37-20-recap">Last year's game</a> was actually hard-fought for the first three quarters or so. The margin of victory has been more than two scores twice, one time being last year and the other being the 30-6 game at the beginning of the end of the Phil Fulmer Era.</p>
<p>But it still feels like this rivalry has lost something in recent years. Tennessee would go on to end the season with a winning record just once. Florida would go on to win a national championship and play in two more BCS bowls over the same time frame. And, of course, Florida won all five games over that time frame, something that's added an air of inevitability to the affair.</p>
<p>I wish I could say there is some indication, any indication, that this season is going to be different. But there isn't. It's not entirely clear to me that Florida is a better team than it was last year, or at least that it will look like a better team than it was last year, but Tennessee is still well behind the SEC East powers in the first year of Butch Jones' tenure.</p>
<p>That doesn't mean there's no potential for something interesting to happen. For one thing, it could be <a href="http://www.rockytoptalk.com/2013/9/18/4743830/tennessee-vols-at-florida-gators-statistical-game-preview">an interesting test of how quickly turnovers regress to the mean</a> -- Florida is minus-two in that department so far, 118th in the FBS, and Tennessee is plus-two, tied for fourth. If the Gators do turn over the ball a few times, we could have a close game; if not, we could be dealing with a blowout.</p>
<p>My guess is that we end up with something in between. Florida is unlikely to continue to turn over the ball at the rate they have so far this season, and Tennessee certainly can't plan on its good luck continuing. Still, things won't get out of hand until later.</p>
<p><i>Florida 34, Tennessee 21</i></p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/21/4754306/tennessee-volunteers-vs-florida-gators-preview-waiting-for-the-returnBrandon Larrabee2013-09-21T07:00:10-04:002013-09-21T07:00:10-04:00Arkansas vs. Rutgers Preview: Who Are You?
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<figcaption>Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We don't really know what to make of either of these teams right now. So can this game tell us anything about either of them?</p> <p><i><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/arkansas-razorbacks">Arkansas Razorbacks</a> vs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/rutgers-scarlet-knights">Rutgers Scarlet Knights</a>, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN</i></p>
<p>Every team has a game in the first month or so that generally tells us, as the cliche goes, how good they really are. Sometimes, a team crashes so spectacularly or does so well in its first game that it's quickly clear how good the team is. Usually, it takes a little longer than that.</p>
<p>It's rare to have two teams both face an identity-defining game against each other, but that might be case for Arkansas and Rutgers. Both of them have winning records. Both of them have not faced much of anyone in terms of the opposition. And both of them are about to get into the meat of their conference schedules.</p>
<p>We all basically know the story of Arkansas right now -- uneven but largely dominating wins against Louisiana-Lafayette and Southern Miss, along with an uneven and closer-than-expected win against Samford. (Adding an element of mystery to Arkansas this week is the injury of Brandon Allen, who is <a href="http://www.baxterbulletin.com/article/20130920/SPORTS/309200029/Brandon-Allen-takes-snaps-still-doubt-Rutgers">a gametime decision</a>.) Rutgers hasn't done much more to make it clear how good the Knights are. They've defeated Norfolk State and Eastern Michigan while dropping an opening week overtime game at Fresno State by one point. Strange things sometimes happen in the first week.</p>
<p>A win here would seem to validate one of these teams. If Arkansas gets the victory, the Razorbacks will have gone on a long road trip and beaten another BCS team (even if just that). And Rutgers could almost instantly remove the questions from the Fresno State loss with a win over even a lower-tier SEC team.</p>
<p>As near as I can tell from the early games, Arkansas has the better defense. In a game where neither team seems likely to light up the scoreboard, that's probably enough, and Arkansas gets some confidence before Texas A&M comes to town.</p>
<p><i>Arkansas 17, Rutgers 10</i></p>
https://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/9/21/4754198/arkansas-razorbacks-vs-rutgers-scarlet-knights-preview-tv-timeBrandon Larrabee